This paper presents electrostriction from the phenomenological perspective, and gives details on two mechanical effects arising from lasermatter interaction. Electrostriction is the tendency of materials to compress in the presence of a varying electric field. In this paper, the investigated materials are polar and nonpolar dielectric liquids. It is stressed that the dominant factor is the time evolution of the laser pulse, which causes tensile stresses and acoustic waves. The study is supported by experimental realization of electrostriction, which can be detected only at favourable conditions (observed in water, but not in castor oil). This study will shed light in developing measurement techniques (e.g., laser-induced grating spectroscopy) and in explaining the onset of cavities and laser-induced liquid breakdown.

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